


something just like this

by iknowandimsorry (orphan_account)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, M/M, brooklyn nine nine au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 03:46:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15088310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/iknowandimsorry
Summary: “Fine, you know what? It doesn’t even matter what I wager, because I’m going to win this thing. So sure! I bet my beauty regimen.” Lance looked Keith straight in the eye. “So what about you, Kogane? What would be your worst thing in the world?”“Being the one alien in the universe that’s interested in you,” Keith shot back as the excitement in the room swelled.“Alrighty then, here’s the bet,” Coran announced as Lance stood up to shake Keith’s hand. “Whoever can take out the most Galra soldiers wins. If that paladin is Keith, Lance gives up his beauty routine. If that paladin is Lance, Keith has to go on a date with him.”Keith and Lance make a bet. Both get more than they bargained for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> what up it's this fic's round 2 this time I have less shame so we'll see how that goes

“Are you ready to taste defeat, McClain?”

“In your goddamn dreams, Keith. I’m going to win this, and when I do, even Voltron won’t be able to save your sorry ass.”

“Yeah, stay smug while you can, because by the end of today you’re going to be begging for mercy.”

“Like fuck that’s going to happen–”

“Paladins!” Allura interrupted suddenly with a disapproving stare.

Keith swiveled around so quickly that he almost fell off his chair. Lance couldn’t help but snicker at Keith’s ridiculous panic as he nearly toppled over.

Still, though, his startled expression was kind of–kind of cute. Objectively, someone, somewhere would probably find it cute.

“Uh, yes, Princess Allura?” Keith asked sheepishly.

“This day is supposed to be about Hunk, but you two are still preoccupied with your petty bickering,” Allura scolded, glaring at them with stern disapproval. “If you don’t wish to disrespect him you ought to put aside your rivalry for one day and celebrate your friend’s brave accomplishment.”

“Eh, I don’t really mind,” Hunk added he put a bowl full of sugared food goo into the oven. “This whole ceremony thing was only arranged a week ago. This bet’s been going on for months, and it’s about to end _tomorrow_.”

“You single-handedly saved the entire Kylobronian empire from a Galra attack while fighting off the effects of Cerebra poison, that hardly seems less important that some bet,” Allura noted, puzzled.

“Some bet? _Some bet_?” Lance cried indignantly. He looked Allura dead in the eye. “Princess. We’re talking about _the_ bet.”

“Oh.” Allura’s eyes widened. “ _The_ bet.”

 

_(EIGHT MONTHS EARLIER_

_“Please,” Lance said over the team’s laughter as Keith smirked at him. “You may have been the better pilot at the Garrison, and you may be an okay fighter, and your skin might be softer than mine even though you don’t have a strict beauty regimen, but I’m a better paladin than you a million times over.”_

_“Oh, burn,” Hunk said, extending his hand for a high-five. Lance enthusiastically accepted._

_Keith raised an eyebrow. “Want to bet on it?”_

_Lance grinned and leaned back against his seat. “Sure, mullet boy. What are the stakes?”_

_Everyone in the group oohs, even Shiro and Allura. It was a brief moment of levity for the team, a breath of air in between life threatening Galra attacks and tedious diplomatic negotiations. Everyone was hoping for a distraction from the weight of the work they did on a daily basis, and Lance was more than happy to provide it for them._

_Keith crossed his arms. “How about giving up that beauty regimen you’re so proud of?”_

_Pidge, sitting on the dinner table and swinging her legs, gasped in mock horror._

_“But Lance? How else will you possibly get alien girls to notice you?”_

_“I guess he could give them his lion and let them chain him to a tree like last time,” Shiro added, sending the room into a fit of laughter once again._

_“Hey! I look this way for me,” Lance protested. “Hot aliens love me the same with or without my beauty sleep and facial cream.”_

_“Yes, absolutely zero percent,” Allura said, still giggling._

_“Fine, you know what? It doesn’t even matter what I wager, because I’m going to win this thing. So sure! I bet my beauty regimen.” Lance looked Keith straight in the eye. “So what about you, Kogane? What would be your worst thing in the world?”_

_“Being the one alien in the universe that’s interested in you,” Keith shot back as the excitement in the room swelled._

_“Alrighty then, here’s the bet,” Coran announced as Lance stood up to shake Keith’s hand. “Whoever can take out the most Galra soldiers wins. If that paladin is Keith, Lance gives up his beauty routine. If that paladin is Lance, Keith has to go on a date with him.”_

_Keith shook Lance’s hand and leaned forward, voice low and bristling with challenge. “I’m gonna take you out, McClain.”_

_“Actually, as per the details of the bet, I’m going to be taking you out.” Lance narrowed his eyes and mirrored his movements so that they were standing eye to eye, only a hair away from each other. “So bring it.”)_

 

“It ends today?” Allura said, all trace of anger gone.

“Yeah, and I’m totally winning.” Lance said smugly.

“We’re _tied_ ,” Keith corrected, glowering at Lance.

“I’m winning in spirit,” Lance replied, waving off Keith’s comment. “There aren’t that many Galra here since Hunk drove off that invasion, but there are still some left roaming this planet and I’m gonna defeat them all.”

“Don’t get too cocky. You’re about to go down,” Keith retorted.

“Unless you mean go down to the Klyobron metropolis and confirm my dinner reservation, I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

“Please, when I’m through with you your family’s going to need a tractor just to–”

“Tractor, what are you, Tex–”

“Hey guys!” Hunk set down a hot tray in front of them. “Goo cookies are done.”

“Aw yes! Hunk, you’re the best!” Lance grabbed a cookie and shoved the whole thing into his mouth. “I don’t care who wins this bet, you’re the real best paladin.”

Keith took one as well and smiled. “I hate to agree with Lance, but he’s not wrong for once.”

Allura sighed. “Hunk, should you really be baking us cookies when we should be honoring _you_?”

“Come on Allura, I really don’t mind, promise!” Hunk smiled and held out the tray. “Do you want one?”

Allura hesitated, then took two.

“Well, if you really don’t mind,” she mumbled through a mouthful of cookie crumbs.

-

“Hey? Pidge?” Shiro waved his hand in front of Pidge’s face to no avail. “Earth to Pidge.”

“Ha! Earth to Pidge.” She turned off her laptop, making a series of holographic alien letters dancing above her fizzle out. “Because we’re in space. Classic. So, what do you need?”

Shiro winced. “Well, you know how Hunk got Cerebra poisoning while saving the Kylobronians?”

“Uh, yeah. That’s part of the whole reason they’re throwing this massive party for him tonight.”

“And you know how we had to give him a special antidote for it before we put him in the healing pod?”

“Yeah, Coran said the toxins in the poison couldn’t be removed by the healing pod for some reason. I still don’t really know how the healing pod works. Do they release chemical healing agents? Gaseous white blood cell stimulators?” Pidge lowered her voice and leaned in closer to Shiro. “You know, I’m starting to suspect that space science is bullshit.”

Shiro laughed. “Come on, nobody just strings together vaguely science-like words because they don’t what they’re talking about.” He laughed again, then frowned slightly. “I mean, they don’t, right?”

“We’ll find out soon. My research will probably turn up more conclusive answers in about twenty-three days,” she said, adjusting her glasses. “In the meantime, avoid any robots that look like tiny tarantulas.”

Shiro turned pale. “Those were just robots?”

“Why, are you afraid of spiders?” Pidge teased, then paused. “Oh quiznak, wait, are you really–”

“Anyway, I want you to watch Hunk tonight,” Shiro interrupted quickly, gesturing for him to come over. “The side effects of that antidote only just started setting in, and, well–here. See for yourself.”

“Uh. Okay,” Pidge said cautiously. “Hey, Hunk, how’s it going? I smell goo cookies.”

“Yep, the others are eating them right now,” Hunk said, nodding agreeably. “You know, sometimes I think you guys just see me as the dumb food guy and over compliment me to subconsciously make up for the fact that you don’t respect me.”

Pidge gaped at him. “Um... Hunk, I, uh–”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to answer right now. I know you’re bad at expressing your feelings because you’re insecure about your emotions. Also, you have to start showering and sleeping again. You already know aliens exist, you don’t still need to stay up late looking for UFOs,” Hunk assured her.

Pidge stopped gaping and snapped her fingers. “Oh, I’ve heard of this! Some human drugs are like this too. You’re going to be really honest for a few days, right?”

“That’s what Coran tells me!” Hunk smiled. “By the way, I saw Shiro jump on a table and smash one of your robots with a broom.”

“Look, I thought they were _space spiders_ ,” Shiro protested as Pidge doubled over laughing. “Who knows what space spiders can do to you? They could have been–” Shiro cleared his throat. “Well anyway, you’ve got to follow him around at the party tonight and keep him from saying something that might get him punched.”

Pidge wiped away tears and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Yeah, I’d really hate to see Hunk get punched. He deserves the world.”

Shiro nodded. “Damn right.”

-

“Hey Lance, ready to look your nightmares in the eye?” Keith yelled from the castle corridor, making everyone look up from a map of the Cepheus galaxy.

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Unless you’re going to come in here with a dinosaur and suddenly start talking in an Australian accent, nothing you could show me would even come close to resembling my nightmares.”

Keith leapt into the meeting room with a confident smirk and a Galra soldier in glowing red handcuffs. “I caught him prowling around the city square and took him down in a knife fight with only two minutes left in the bet to go.”

Lance smirked back. “Impressive. Why don’t you take him to the holding room?”

Keith grinned and started walking over to the doors. “Hell yeah I will. I broke the tie, McClain, I hope you’re ready for your skin to look like the desert I was born in because–”

Keith froze as he opened the door to the holding cell and looked inside.

“Oh no,” he whispered, horrified. Nearly a dozen Galra soldiers with blue handcuffs around their wrists sat on the floor, glaring at Keith and growling in frustration.

“Oh yes.” Lance walked over and slung an arm around Keith’s shoulder. “I found a whole Galra base! Well, what was left of it, anyway, there were only a few ships and like, fifteen guys there. But if I remember correctly, fifteen is still more than one, right? About fifteen times greater?”

“There’s still time,” Keith said in a panicked tone. “I still have–”

“Only fifteen ticks, my boy,” Coran said apologetically. “And while I was saying that sentence, you lost four. And while I was saying that sentence, you lost seven. And, er, so on. Anyway, my point is–”

“Time’s up!” Pidge announced gleefully, raising an expired tick counter in the air.

The room exploded with energy as Keith watched in despair. Coran pressed a button and a cheesy pop song played from the castle’s speakers at deafening volume. Hunk hoisted Pidge onto his shoulders and they cheered at the top of their lungs. Allura applauded with a bemused expression, and Shiro pulled a flag with Lance’s face on it out from under the table.

“I’m sorry, Keith, he forced me to do this,” Shiro said with a shrug and a smile as he waved the flag above his head.

“Where did you even get that?” Keith asked desperately.

“When I was in sixth grade I got really into sewing,” Lance replied. “And you can’t make fun of me for that because one, it’s awesome, and two, I just won the bet!”

Lance took Keith’s hand in his and got down on one knee. In the background, Pidge pressed a key on her laptop and with a bang, confetti exploded down on them from the ceiling.

“Keith Kogane,” Lance started over the sound of the still blaring music, voice as sincere as he could make it, “will you make me the happiest man in the galaxy and go on a date with me?”

“I’m going to kill you in your sleep one day,” Keith mumbled, face red.

“He said yes!” Lance threw his hands in the air in celebration, and others erupted in shouts and applause.

-

“Do I seriously have to wear this?” Keith grumbled, tugging at the frills on his tuxedo.

“You agreed to these terms, you know the answer,” Lance said cheerfully, locking arms with Keith. “You look adorable, by the way.”

Keith huffed and pulled at his sleeves.

He really did look adorable, but it was less because of the outfit and more because of how flustered it made him. He looked like a grumpy doll owned by the world’s stuffiest little girl. Lance was a little surprised that Keith even cared about what he was wearing (he wore the same cropped jacket and fingerless gloves every day, after all), but if anything could get him to care, it would be the hideous tuxedo.

Lance had picked it up on some alien marketplace for three rusty Altean coins (which no longer had monetary value, but were considered valuable relics to many traders). He and Hunk and Pidge always went to the shops on every planet they visited if there was one, or if they had the luxury to do so. Hunk loved talking to the locals, Lance hoped they would find something from Earth, and Pidge looked for that video game she was always raving about–and, when she thought Lance wasn’t listening, asked shopkeepers for information about her family. He had bought tuxedo on a dare and intended to keep it in his closet as a souvenir. Luckily, the bet gave him better use for it.

And it really was the most ridiculous outfit in the universe, Lance was sure of it. It looked like something a geek from the 18th century would wear to prom–ruffled collar, curly coattails, blue bowtie, even a cloth lilac stitched onto the breast pocket. Keith wasn’t exactly pulling off the look, either, his discomfort was obvious. Every five seconds he was adjusting his sleeve cuffs or picking at loose threads. Keith leapt into battle without hesitation, but Lance had never seen him look more nervous.

“Hey.” Lance elbowed Keith. “If it makes you feel any better, it’s dark out, so nobody’s going to be able to see it until we get to the party.”

“You mean the place where all the people are?”

Lance pretended to consider this. “Hm, when you put it like that, I guess this is going to be pretty embarrassing for you, huh?”

He didn’t know much about the party except that it was a huge affair. There would be drinks, music, dimmed lights, the usual fare–Lance found that no matter where they went in the galaxy, people usually celebrated in the same way. At Hunk’s request, every citizen in the Kylobron capital had been invited to attend, so the event was going to be held at the queen’s castle, the only building large enough to hold everyone.

“I can’t believe you’re making us walk there,” Keith complained. “If we’d gone with the rest of the group we’d already be there by now.”

The palace was only a block away from the place the Castle of Lions had been allowed to land, so it was a short walk. Still, Lance suspected no amount of walking was comfortable in that ridiculous suit.

“Yeah, but then you wouldn’t have had time to put on your lovely uniform,” Lance crooned, flicking the fake lilac. “Besides, look at this night, look at the stars! Why shouldn’t we enjoy it properly? And there’s no better way to enjoy it than a romantic midnight stroll.”

Keith looked up at the sky and smiled slightly. “I guess it is beautiful out tonight.”

“It’s not the only beautiful thing out tonight.”

Keith looked at him in alarm. “What?”

“Um?” Lance gestured to himself and raised his eyebrows.

Keith sighed in exasperation and gave Lance a shove. “Let’s just go, there’s more room for your ego at the party.”

-

“Pidge! What are you doing here?”

Pidge looked up from some light purple punch and adjusted her glasses. “Drinking whatever this is. Don’t worry, it’s not alcoholic. Or whatever the alien equivalent of alcoholic is.”

Shiro shook his head. “Not that. Why aren’t you watching Hunk?”

“Yeah. About that.” Pidge pointed to Hunk on the other side of the room, chatting with a partygoer and laughing. “It turns out really honest Hunk is actually just a perfectly normal version of Hunk. If anything, he’s even nicer to people. Turns out the only thing he’s keeping a secret from people is how much he wants them to live meaningful and fulfilling lives.”

“Huh. Really?” Shiro frowned and tried to listen to Hunk’s conversation.

“Ma’am, I know you can start your own biochemical engineering shop,” Hunk said in the distance, taking the woman’s hand in his. “Don’t listen to your uncle. You have the drive, the passion, the spirit, and you know more about molecular geometry than anyone I’ve ever met! And I’ve met a lot of people across the galaxy.”

The alien turned a shade of green and blinked her third eye. “You–you really think so?”

Hunk smiled. “If I wasn’t medically incapable of lying to you right now, I would probably chicken out and say I wasn’t sure. But since I am, I can tell you with complete confidence that you were _born to do this_.”

“Oh my god,” Shiro muttered.

“Yeah,” Pidge nodded, taking another sip from her punch. “Yeah.”

-

“Hey! Hunk! Power couple coming through!”

Lance and Keith squeezed their way over to Hunk, who was giving a bear hug to two crying Kylobronians.

“I know you don’t want to ruin your relationship, but if one of you has needs that aren’t being satisfied, you have to talk about it rather than hide it inside,” Hunk said in a reassuring tone.

“Uh, Hunk?” Lance tapped his shoulder. “Everything...okay over here?”

“Oh, hey Lance!” Hunk looked down affectionately at the two aliens in his arms. “I think so.”

Keith wrinkled his nose. “Do you need any help or something?”

Hunk smiled. “Actually, I think so. Could you escort these two back to their pod? They’re going home. They have a lot to talk about.”

“Um...sure.” Keith took their hands and made his way towards the door, trying his best to ignore their sobs.

Lance blew Keith a kiss as he left, then turned back to Hunk.

“This is great. The date is going perfectly. And by that I mean terribly. He’s miserable.” Lance sighed happily. “Tonight has been wonderful.”

Hunk cocked his head. For some reason Lance suddenly felt wary.

“Lance, do you know why little boys tease other little kids on playgrounds?”

“Because they’re little boys and they’re dicks?”

“Because they like them, and that's the only way they know how to get their attention,” Hunk corrected.

Lance frowned. “I don’t get it.”

“Your fixation on Keith? This elaborate date?” Hunk asked. “It’s not because you’re rivals. It’s because somewhere deep down, you like him and you don’t know how else to show it.”

“That’s not–I don’t like Keith,” Lance said, voice louder than usual.

Hunk chuckled. “If you were the one recovering from Cerebra poisoning, you wouldn’t be saying that right now.”

Lance blushed and stood up abruptly. “Well, you know, this has been an illuminating discussion, but I think I see Keith coming back, so I’m going to get him to sing a karaoke duet of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ with me.”

Lance started towards the doors as fast as possible.

“Because you like him!” Hunk called after him.

“Shut up!” Lance shouted back.  
-

“Look at him, he’s doing perfectly,” Pidge said excitedly to the bartender. “That’s my friend Hunk over there, high on antidote but still being the life of the party. This could not have gone better.”

“That’s great, ma’am,” the bartender said, antenna twitching. “You’ve been here for quite some time, are you sure you don’t want to...mingle somewhere else?”

“Nah, this is the best place to watch him. It’s fascinating, really. Besides, if I left, I wouldn’t get to talk to my favorite bartender, right?” Pidge replied cheerily, extending her hand for a high five.

“Don’t do that.”

“Okay, fine.” Pidge slumped back onto the bar stool. “But seriously, look at him go! We should have parties in Hunk’s honor like, every day. He’s so–oh, look! The queen is approaching him! This is so exciting! I want to hear what she’s saying, shush.”

“I wasn’t saying anything,” the bartender grumbled.

Hunk was in the middle of a conversation with a group of tittering Kylobronian children when the queen, all regally straight posture and flowing wine-dark silk, strode up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder with her staff.

“And remember, always give your tomatoes natural sunlight–” Hunk was saying.

“Hunk Garrett of Voltron!” The queen said in a soft and lilting voice. “It’s so wonderful to meet my kingdom’s hero.”

The children knelt to the ground and bowed, placing their foreheads on the wood floor. The queen giggled softly gestured for them to rise with a sweep of her delicate hand.

Hunk looked at the queen for a split second and stopped smiling. He narrowed his eyes, and suddenly his face was as cold and uninviting as stone.

“I’m sorry, but you disgust me,” he said, voice icy. Then he turned around and went back to sunnily explaining tomatoes to his shocked young audience.

Pidge dropped her drink, glass shattering on the floor. “Oh shit.”

-

“Hello everyone!” Lance announced to a nearby group of partygoers dancing to a small jazz band. “In honor of our friend Hunk, my date and I will be performing a sacred ceremonial Earth dance called the Macarena for you all. Long live the yellow paladin!”

“I hate your guts,” Keith muttered as the audience applauded politely and the jazz band continued their song.

“Channel that passion into dance,” Lance replied, bouncing on the balls on his feet. Keith sighed and joined him. The Kylobronians around them went back to dancing.

“Fuck you,” Keith said, crossing his arms and waiting for Lance to start.

“That’s the spirit,” Lance said as he placed his arms out in front of him. “One and a two and a three macarena...”

“The band isn’t even playing the right song,” Keith mumbled, awkwardly following Lance’s lead.

“The song’s in my heart, Keith,” Lance shot back, placing his hands on his head. “Come on, five and a six and a seven macarena...”

Lance looked expectantly at Keith, who was standing stock still. “You have to do the hip swing on eight macarena.”

“Seriously, can we please just–not do this?” Keith said, face red.

Lance knew he could remind Keith that he had to do anything Lance said as per the details of the bet, that he gave his word to go on the dumbest of dates and do the dumbest of dances. But for some reason, instead he just sighed and extended his hand.

“Fine. Let’s dance together,” Lance said.

Keith blinked. “What?”

“It’s just as embarrassing, but at least maybe you’ll be less nervous about it,” Lance explained.

Keith stared at him, and Lance felt his face grow hot. He thought about what Hunk had said and suddenly realized what a terrible suggestion this was. Lance didn’t like Keith, he obviously didn’t like Keith, but he wasn’t so sure that he was willing to put it to the test.

“If you don’t want to, I mean, I know you agreed, but like, I still have to respect your boundaries–” Lance babbled.

“Ah, there you are!” Shiro emerged from the crowd. “I need to talk to you two.”

Lance dropped his hand back to his side, sighing in relief. “Hey, Shiro, what do you need?”

Shiro lowered his voice and leaned in. “A Kylobronian noble got intel that we’re in danger. A group of insurgents are going to meet up in some seedy alley downtown and then come here to try to overthrow the crown. The recent Galra battle has left the queen in a pretty rough situation, they’re going to try to catch her unguarded at this party and take her out.”

Keith, surprisingly, smiled after hearing the news. “So that means this date is over.”

“Wait, what?” Lance yelped.

Keith turned to Lance, eyes already brimming with determination. “Shiro wants us to stake out the meetup and put a stop to the rebellion.”

“But–but I had so much planned for tonight!” Lance said desperately. “I already dressed Kaltenecker up as Shakespeare, do you know how hard it is to get him to stay still?”

Keith frowned. “Wait, we still have Kaltenecker? Where?”

“I’m sorry to ruin your plans, Lance, but everybody else is unavailable,” Shiro said. “Hunk is the guest of honor, Pidge is freaking out for some reason, and Allura and I are trying to deal with Coran, who’s the alien equivalent of ridiculously drunk right now.”

Lance groaned. “Fine. We’ll put the date on hold. But as soon as we catch them, the date’s back on.”

Keith grinned and undid his bowtie. “I can’t wait to change out of this dumb suit.”

“You can’t wear your paladin armor either, though. Hard to blend in like that,” Shiro said, tossing Lance a small chrome cube. “Since you can’t communicate through your comms, stick this in your ear. It’s basically an earpiece that’ll let us communicate if you need help.”

“Fantastic.” Lance put the communicator in his pocket. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Lance, wait,” Shiro said, putting a hand on his shoulder as Keith made his way towards exit.

“Um, yeah?”

Shiro leaned in close. “Seriously, you know where Kaltenecker is? Where did we put her?”

Lance smacked his hand away and made a noise of disgust. “How did you guys all forget about a full grown cow?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whatever you know? whatever


	2. Chapter 2

“Excuse me, good sir?” The queen wrinkled her nose at Hunk, lips pursed.

 

Hunk turned away once again from his conversation with the children and sighed, like speaking to the queen was a chore he wanted to get over with. “I said that you disgust me. You’re a murderer and a tyrant, and I don’t wish to speak with you.”

 

“Holy motherfucking quiznak–” Pidge hissed, shoving her way through the crowd.

 

The queen’s hand fluttered to her heart. “Do you care to explain your accusations?” 

 

“I can, Your Majesty!” Pidge ran up to her, panting. “Hunk is–currently on drugs, and he’s not–”

 

“I can’t casually accept the absolute monarchy that you represent,” Hunk interrupted coldly. “For such a supposedly advanced civilization, Kylobron still hasn’t had a single free election.”

 

“What... _ free _ election!” the queen sputtered indignantly. “You are representatives of a princess!”

 

“Don’t think I’m not critical of the Altean monarchy, especially the weird imperialist undertones,” Hunk snapped. “But as far as I know, Altea never committed egregious rights abuses on the same horrifying scale that your government does.”

 

The queen quivered with anger. Her staff started glowing like a hot ember.

 

“Green paladin, do you have anything to say on behalf of your friend?” She barked.

 

Pidge curtseyed awkwardly. “Um, thank you for the lovely party, Your Highness.”

 

-

 

“God, this is more like it,” Keith said, expression all adrenaline and excitement.

 

Since they had walked to the party, Shiro had let them take his ship to the meetup location, and Keith was piloting. With the controls in his hands, soaring towards danger, Keith looked perfectly at home, smiling to himself the way he always did before flying into battle. It was Keith at his most  _ Keith.  _ Lance acted confident most of the time, but despite all his discomfort at big parties or on stupid dates, Keith had an inner self-assurance that Lance couldn’t even begin to understand. 

 

Lance caught himself staring and looked away.

 

“Don’t get too comfortable,” he said, forcing his voice to sound as lighthearted as possible. “As soon as we catch these guys we’ll be back to the worst date ever in no time.”

 

Keith shook his head. “Honestly, this date is hardly my worst date ever. I remember on one date the guy brought a plastic lawn flamingo, called it ‘Floyd’ and everything–”

 

“Wait, you’ve gone on other dates?” Lance blurted.

 

“Well, yeah,” Keith replied, irritated. “I was kind of loner but I wasn’t an  _ alien.  _ Okay, I was, but–you know what I mean.”

 

“No, I know. It’s just.” Lance bit his lip. “This is kind of my first date.”

 

“Wait,  _ what _ ?” The ship suddenly took a startling swerve to the right.

 

“Jesus, what the hell, what the hell!” Lance shouted as he was practically thrown into Keith’s lap.

 

“Shit, sorry, sorry!” Keith abruptly shifted the controls and sent them back on a straight path. 

 

Lance took a deep breath and looked out the window, hoping Keith couldn’t see him blush. He wasn’t particularly interested in knowing what expression Keith must’ve been making, either. The atmosphere in the plane settled into an awkward silence as Keith searched for something to say and Lance tried not to outwardly cringe.

 

“I didn’t mean to make this weird,” Keith started, sounding a little like he was also trying not to cringe. “I just assumed that–you always act like you’ve been on a million dates.”

 

“Flirting isn’t the same thing,” Lance mumbled. 

 

“I guess so,” Keith said, unsure. Then, after a pause: “Well, if it means anything, I’m honored that I get to be part of your first time.”

 

Lance almost chokes then, breaking out into a fit of coughing that makes Keith turn towards him, concerned.

 

“Shit, are you okay?” Keith asked, putting his hand on Lance’s shoulder.

 

“Yeah, no, no, I’m–” Lance swatted Keith’s hand away and tried to ignore the part of his brain that wished Keith would keep doing that. “I’m fine. Let’s just–get those guys. Finish this up.”

 

“Alright, sure,” Keith murmured, wincing and turning his eyes back forward. 

 

Lance slumped down in his seat and watched the alien scenery race by outside the window. It was weird, how normal it all was. When he and Hunk and Pidge were all just a cargo crew at the Garrison, imagining alien civilizations in the middle of the night, they had been so excited at the thought of exploring another planet capable of sustaining life. Turned out most alien planets were a lot like Earth, except there were a few extra suns and the grass was like, purple or something. In a way, Lance thinks he actually prefers it like that, having a degree of consistency wherever he went. It kept him grounded. Traveling to the same city over and over sounded boring, but it wasn’t really a bad way to save the universe, especially when you loved the people you were doing it with.

 

“So, uh, just how different is this from the way you imagined your first date going?” Keith asked, smirk pulling at the edges of his mouth. 

 

Lance laughed. He’s so surprised by the question that his laughter comes out distorted, a cross between giggling and snorting that Lance knows must sound weird as hell. He sneaks a glance at Keith, who, sure enough, is blushing like crazy, struggling to figure out how to respond to something that ridiculous. His social awkwardness was almost cute; it was at least endearing enough to stop Lance from being embarrassed. 

 

“Dude, this is massively different than the way I thought this would be going this  _ morning _ ,” Lance retorted. “All this is lightyears away, literally and metaphorically, from how I thought this would go down.”

 

“And what exactly does your dream date look like?”

 

_ Kind of like this, to be honest _ , Lance thought before he could stop his traitorous mind. He grimaced and mentally shook himself, not even bothering to try to explain the thought. Brains just did weird shit sometimes, it didn’t mean anything. 

 

And still, the thought echoed in his mind:  _ Kind of like this. Kind of like this. _

 

“I’m not totally clear on the details,” Lance says out loud instead as an Kylobron skyscraper races by (exactly the same as an Earth skyscraper, but with seemingly pointless spikes on the roof). “But it would probably involve the beach somehow. Probably at night, too. Just the two of us, leaning against each other, listening to the waves and watching stars…”

 

Lance sighed. It’s dangerous to think that way. “I don’t know. Something stupid like that.”

 

“It’s not stupid,” Keith says quietly, almost as if he wasn’t listening to his own response.

 

“Sure, Mullet. I know I’m sappy, you–”

 

“Look,” Keith interrupted, focusing determinedly on the view ahead like he’s fighting the urge to look away. “I’m sorry, I just–I have to ask–” 

 

“Uh, sure?”

 

Keith swallowed, unsure how to phrase his words. “I mean, how have you–who would ever turn–”

 

Lance sighed. He wasn’t a genius like Hunk or Pidge, but he could tell when someone was trying to get out the question,  _ Hey, Lance, how are you this much of a loser? _ He’s had good practice. 

 

“I don’t know, dude.” Keith hadn’t asked yet, but Lance figured he’ll be merciful and bail him out of the trouble. “I honestly just never asked anyone. I just–never wanted to be rejected, you know? I wanted, like–I wanted to be sure that the first time I asked someone out, I’d know they’d say yes. I didn’t want that kind of bad start. And I just never felt that sure about anyone. And I figured, I’m still young, it’s not that hard to just wait, for now. For that person.”

 

“And that person turned out to be me, because I was coerced into it by a bet. So I guess I’m at least half what you wanted.” Keith lets out a huff of breath. “I don’t know, Lance. I don’t think you can wait to be sure, sometimes. I think you have to just, go for it. Take that emotional leap of faith and deal with whatever’s on the other side.”

 

Lance snorts. “Like that means anything coming from you.”

 

Keith freezes behind him. “Um, what?”

 

“You take literal leaps of faith every day over like, actual canyons and stuff.” Lance brings his legs up to his chest and rests his arms on his knees. “But it’s hard for us regular people. The idea that people you want to care about could just walk away without a second thought.”

 

Keith sighs. 

 

“No, I think I can understand that,” he says softly. “Hey, um, Lance?”

 

“Yeah?” Lance turns to face Keith and–shit.

 

Keith was looking directly at him, and there was a look of determination in his eyes that Lance knew meant he was about to say something important. But he’d seen Keith’s determined face over and over in battle, this was something different. Keith looked so earnest right now that it was took Lance completely off guard. His eyes were bright with purpose and his lips were parted slightly mid-sentence as he searched Lance’s face for–for something, but Lance didn’t know what, and he was leaning forward intently like he was steeling himself for something and–

 

“I think I can see the roof we’re supposed to land on from here, actually,” Lance said abruptly, gesturing frantically out the window. “So if you could just–”

 

Keith blinked, and all of a sudden Lance is fixated on the motion, the brush of his eyelashes over the purple flecks in his eyes. 

 

“Oh,” Keith said distantly. “Yeah, um, I’ll just–there’s a good place to land there, I’ll–”

 

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again to reveal none of that sincerity left in them. 

 

“Sorry, I got distracted,” Keith said sheepishly. “Won’t happen again.”

 

“Yep, great, cool,” Lance replied, face red. “Cool cool cool cool cool cool.” 

 

Lance took a deep breath and tried to contain his growing terror.

 

Hunk was right. He was pretty sure he shouldn’t feel surprised by that sentence anymore.

 

-

 

“Welp, here we are, Keith,” Lance says, spreading out his arms. “The last stop before Date Central. Get a good look at your last taste of freedom before it’s back to the bar and the team and the marching band I hired and everything goes back the way it was supposed to.”

 

Keith sits down on the edge of the roof, letting his legs dangle over the side. 

 

“It’s nice,” Keith said, smiling slightly, face bathed in the soft glow of alien moonlight and  _ fuck, _ Lance was so screwed.

 

“Yeah, it is,” Lance agreed tonelessly as he hesitantly sat down beside him. All of a sudden the idea of being near Keith was impossible, like they would combust if they got too close, but Keith would know something was up if he sat on the other side of the roof for no apparent reason, he couldn’t chicken out. He was a paladin of Voltron, he could totally do this.

 

“So, um,” Lance started, watching his legs swing back and forth over the Kylobronian city streets. “How’s life?”

 

Keith laughed, and the sound made Lance feel like he could run a million miles.

 

“A year ago I was living in a shack in the desert,” he responded. “Now I’m a half alien warrior defending the universe with the power of teamwork and five sort-of sentient robot cats. Life’s complicated."

 

“Don’t forget you’re also like, a cultist now,” Lance answers, smirking.

 

Keith whips around to face him. “The Blade isn’t a cult, we’re an organization of resistance against the Galra empire. It’s legitimate.”

 

Lance laughs. “The fact that you knew what I was talking about kinda makes my point, dude.”

 

“No, come on, it–” The corner of Keith’s mouth turned up, and soon he’s laughing right alongside Lance. “Fine, you know what, I guess it’s a little bit culty. Whatever. We’re a resistance and we’re doing good work so it’s–”

 

Lance covered his ears. “No, don’t try to indoctrinate me, I’ve got so much to live for–”

 

Keith elbowed his side. “Come on, shut up.”

 

“Fine, forgive me if I make fun of the furry ninjas,” Lance said, raising his hands in defeat. “But seriously, the way they operate, the whole ‘die for the cause’ thing is so–”

 

“Isn’t it a cause worth dying for, though?” Keith interrupted sharply. “I mean, winning this war is more important than any one of us. It’s for the good of the universe.”

 

Lance snorted and looked down at his feet. 

 

“If you let the people you love go that easily then it’s not really a universe protecting, I think,” he murmured.

 

Keith was silent, and Lance mentally shook himself. There was no need to make everything weird. At least, weirder than it already was. He would deal with his feelings later.

 

“Whatever,” Lance said, perking up and smiling. “They’ve got cool suits, so–” Shit, Keith in the Blade of Marmora suit. Lance decided to file that for later as well. “–I guess that makes up for it a little. And your mom’s in it, and she seems pretty cool.”

 

“She was going to name me Yorak.”

 

“She–” Lance bursts out in a fit of surprised laughter, doubling over so far that he was almost dangerous tilted over the edge of the roof. He grabs the sides to steady himself. “ _ Yorak? _ ”

 

Keith blushed. It was sweet. Whatever.  

 

“Is that like, Galran for mullet or something?” Lance said.

 

Keith grimaced. “It’s not even Galran for anything. She just made it up.”

 

Lance started laughing hysterically all over again, clutching at his sides. 

 

“So you were–” He paused to take a breath. “You were basically about to become the Kashtyn of the Galra race.”

 

“Huh.” Keith tilted his head thoughtfully. “You know. Kashtyn. I kinda like that.” 

 

“ _ Noooooo _ ,” Lance exclaimed, horrified, which made Keith start laughing, which made Lance start laughing all over again, and soon they were both so loud that Lance almost couldn’t hear the sound of Shiro’s voice through his earpiece until a loud clattering sound in the distance startled them into silence.

 

“– _ shouldn’t be loud unless you want the rebels to hear you and scatter _ –” Shiro’s voice came in crackling through the cube.

 

“Oh right, right, um–” Lance lowered his voice and turn to Keith. “You keep watching to see if they show up, I gotta–” 

 

He gestured frantically towards his ear. Keith raised a confused eyebrow. Oh, right. 

 

“It’s Shiro,” Lance said in explanation. “I’ve gotta talk to him, you just uh, keep watching for those dudes.”

 

Keith gave Lance a thumbs-up before turning back towards the city view.

 

“Okay, what’s up,” Lance said once his back was to Keith.

 

“ _ We think we managed to wrangle Coran, finally,”  _ Shiro said. Now that Lance could hear him clearly, it sounded like he was actually panting slightly. “ _ Um, he’s still trying to wage war on a weed growing outside the bar, but now he’s in the plotting stage, and I think he’ll pass out before he moves on to combat, so I don’t think he’s gonna break anything anytime soon.” _

 

“I think that plant’s going to out-strategize Coran.”

 

_ “It probably would be better at an ambush.”  _ Shiro paused.  _ “That was stupid. The point is, Allura and I aren’t busy anymore so we can take over for you and Keith if you want. You guys can get back to your date.” _

 

Lance glanced behind him at Keith, whose gaze was bright with purpose, intently sweeping the streets below. Maybe it was part of his Galra heritage or something, but his eyes seemed almost incandescent under the dim glow of the stars. 

 

“You know what,” Lance heard himself say without really registering the sound, “you guys have had a long night. Keith and I are already here, we can finish up.”

 

“ _ Oh thank–thanks, that’s– _ ” Shiro let out a sigh of relief. “ _ Okay, we’re just going to get some sleep then. You two have fun. Don’t make a bet on this one, it’s going to hurt your teamwork. _ ”

 

“Besides, I’d beat him.”

 

Shiro chuckled. “ _ Someday I think you should figure out why you’re really so fixated on Keith instead of pretending you’re mad about an imagined rivalry. _ ”

 

“Ha, no, believe me,” Lance said with a nervous smile as he walked back in Keith’s direction. “I have.”

 

-

 

“You punched Iverson  in the face ?”

 

“Well, yeah,” Keith said, bemused. “Why else do you think I got expelled?”

 

“There were rumors. Never knew which ones to believe.”

 

“Well.” Keith shrugged. “Believe this one.”

 

“Shit, dude.” Lance took a moment to relish the mental image of a young Keith clocking Iverson’s smug face. “God, sometimes I don’t even understand why you’re still doing this.”

 

Keith scrunched his eyebrows together. “Because we’re trying to get Kylobron to be our ally?”

 

“No, I meant like, talking to me.” Lance laughed and leaned back on his hands. “You’re like, actually cool. You had the right idea at the Garrison, acting like an aloof badass all the time, not stooping to–”

 

“I always wanted to talk to you, I just...” Keith stopped and trails off. “Well, I–I wasn’t ignoring you. I mean, I–you were just always glaring at me, I thought you didn’t want me to talk to _ you _ .”

 

“Shit, well.” Lance mumbled. “Looking back I don’t think looking at you all the time because I was angry.”

 

Keith blinked. “What do you mean?”

 

Lance took a deep breath. “I don’t know, I–wait. Fuck.”

 

Keith frowned. “Uh, what?”

 

Lance gestured down at the ground. A figure slinking in the shadows darted into an alleyway, gesturing for two more to follow. 

 

Keith widened his eyes, then followed Lance down to street level. 

 

“How are we going to approach this?” Keith whispered as they made their way towards the people below. “I say you go for an attack from the window and I’ll–”

 

“For the love of God, Johnny, I’m this close to breaking up with you, just give it up and ask someone for directions,” Lance shouts.

 

The figures–three Kylobronians in purple cloaks–immediately turn around and stare at them, dumbfounded. Keith glanced at Lance for an instant with a small smirk before twisting his face into a look of exaggerated frustration.

 

“Fuck, I get it, Dorian, you love to complain, alright?” Keith rolled his eyes. “Can we just get through one night where I don’t regret hooking up with you at that Altraxian party thirty rotations ago?”

 

“That party will always be magical and you know it,” Lance snapped. “Maybe you’d see that if your ego wasn’t so far up–”

 

“Sirs!” One of the Kylobronians shouted, looking as if he was struggling to decide whether to be irritated or nervous at their messy intrusion. “Is there, uh, something you need, to ask from us?”

 

“I dunno, Johnny,  _ is there _ ?” Lance said, crossing his arms.

 

Keith crossed his arms right back and glared at him. A million years ago, back when they first met, Lance would’ve considered that exact stance intimidating and dangerous, would’ve made him bitter about Keith’s existence for days. Now he’s barely keeping it together over how ridiculous he looks. 

 

“Go ask if you think it’s so important then,” Keith muttered darkly. 

 

“Yeah, go ahead, we, uh, we don’t bite,” one of the other Kylobronians got out with a sheepish smile.

 

Lance sighed heavily. “Well, now that my dumb boyfriend’s gotten over himself, maybe I will.”

 

He turns to the Kylobronians, takes a deep breath, and grins.

 

“Are you guys ready to get your asses kicked by two paladins of Voltron?”

 

-

 

“Hey!” Lance waved at Shiro with the hand that wasn’t holding onto a Kylobronian insurgent’s handcuffs. “We got them! Does this place have a prison or whatever?”

 

The Kylobronian queen looked up from a scroll covered in intricate scrawls and smiled serenely when she saw Keith and Lance approach, getting up from a barstool and strolling through the crowd of people that surrounded her.

 

“No need for that,” she said calmly, taking the three rebels from Lance and Keith and undoing their cuffs. “They were fighting against a government that does not exist anymore. Now, we have fundamental rights, and there is no need to imprison anyone for dissent.”

 

She bowed to the astonished rebels. “Welcome, fellow citizens.”

 

“Yo, Hunk convinced them to become a democratic civilization while you guys were gone,” Pidge slurred from a corner, nursing a cup of violet alien juice. “Everyone had this big discussion about justice, got together to draw up a constitution, Hunk’s like a galactic senator now, blah blah blah, long story short, I, um–” Pidge hiccups and squints at the ceiling. “I might have underestimated the amount of space alcohol in this drink?”

 

Lance nods. “I don’t understand anything that’s happening right now.”

 

“We’ll talk about it in the morning, when everyone’s rested and sober,” Allura added, walking up to the group dragging a very discombobulated Coran behind her. “But for now, you may all enjoy the last remnants of this party if you please. I’m going to check up on Hunk. The toxin effects are wearing off and he’s–” 

 

Allura winced. “Well, he is in a minor state of panic reflecting upon what he’s done tonight. But I will handle that, don’t worry.”

 

“I’m going to uproot that leafy bugger if it’s the last thing I do,” Coran murmured behind her.

 

Pidge giggled at the floor. “I think I’m seeing in ultraviolet light, actually.”

 

Allura sighed. “And them, too.”

 

Lance gave the princess a sympathetic look. “Seems like you’ve had a busy night.”

 

“I love this family, it’s beyond worth the trouble,” she said as she hoisted Coran off the floor. “I am grateful that at least you agreed you stay on the mission even after Shiro offered we take your place, I don’t know if I would’ve been able to live through a stakeout  _ and _ a drunk Pidge.”

 

“Yeah, shit, good luck with that.” Lance winced as Allura dragged Pidge and Coran through the crowd of excited newly made members of the Kylobronian republic.

 

“Agreed to stay, huh?”

 

Lance whipped around to see Keith leaning on a table with a raised eyebrow. 

 

Oh, wait. Shit.

 

“You–come on, you saw how tired Allura was,” Lance tried helplessly, feeling his face heat up. “And Shiro sounded just as bad, I just didn’t want to...I was being charitable.”

 

Keith smirked and leaned away from the table, stepping towards Lance.

 

“You’re a bad liar,” he said smugly. “You might as well tell the truth.”

 

Lance crossed his arms. “Fine. How about this.” He sticks out his hand. “I’ll race you to the Castle. We’ll see who gets there first. If I win, you have to wear that stupid alien tuxedo for a week.”

 

“And if I win?”

 

“Then,” Lance said. “I’ll tell you. But one more thing.”

 

“What?”

 

Lance took off as fast as he could, and heard Keith yelp in surprise and start running behind him. 

 

Lance smiled and thought about how his amazed his younger self would be if he told him one day he would lose to Keith Kogane on purpose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes you write a fic and leave it in your drafts for a year and finish it in a day bc you need to get rid of it even if it sucks you know what i mean


End file.
